The 32nd Kobe Luminarie (神戸ルミナリエ) runs for 10 nights, from Friday, January 29 to Sunday, February 7, 2027, with the lights on from dusk to 9:30 pm. The event takes place at three sites in central Kobe: Meriken Park (メリケンパーク), Higashi Yuenchi Park (東遊園地), and the Former Foreign Settlement (旧居留地, Kyukyoryuchi).
You only need a ticket for one part of one site: the paid area at Meriken Park, home to two of the works the organizers bill as larger and brighter. Those are "Frontone," an entrance piece about 17 meters tall, and "Galleria," a corridor of light about 81 meters long.
The rest of Meriken Park, all of Higashi Yuenchi Park, and the Former Foreign Settlement are free, with no booking. Advance tickets for the paid area went on sale November 1, 2026, and cost half the same-day price.
You can enter the paid area only during the time slot on your ticket: not before it starts, and not after it ends. Once you're in, you can stay until 9:30 pm.
If you're booking other things for a late-January trip, our Japan in January 2027: On-Sale Dates for Ghibli, Sumo & Shinkansen lists the on-sale dates to know.
Kobe Luminarie 2027 at a glance
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Dates | Friday, January 29 to Sunday, February 7, 2027 (10 nights) |
Lights on | Dusk to 9:30 pm (subject to change) |
Sites | Meriken Park (partly paid), Higashi Yuenchi Park, Former Foreign Settlement |
Theme | A thousand melodies, lit up by the harbor (港に灯る、千のしらべ) |
Paid area | Advance from ¥500, same-day from ¥1,000 (varies by day; see below) |
Kids | Free through elementary school; must be with an adult |
Rain or snow | Goes ahead; canceled if an Emergency Warning is issued |
Ticket help line | 0570-200-883 (weekdays 10 am–5 pm; closed Dec 28–Jan 4; calls from outside Japan may not connect) |
Hotels around Meriken Park: availability and rates
The organizers decide the exact switch-on time on site each evening and don't answer questions about it in advance. The paid area's first time slot starts at 5:30 pm every night.
On the final night, February 7, a switch-off ceremony is planned on the lawn at Higashi Yuenchi Park at around 9:20 pm.
Paid-area prices and time slots
The organizers say admission to the paid area is capped for each time slot so visitors can see the works without overcrowding, and that the fee helps keep the event going. You pick a date and a time slot when you buy.
Day | Time slots | Advance | Same-day |
|---|---|---|---|
Mon–Thu (Feb 1–4) | 5:30–6:30 / 6:30–7:30 / 7:30–9:30 pm | ¥500 | ¥1,000 |
Fri (Jan 29, Feb 5) | 5:30–6:30 / 6:30–7:30 / 7:30–8:30 / 8:30–9:30 pm | Not stated | Not stated |
Sat–Sun (Jan 30–31, Feb 6–7) | Same four slots as Friday | ¥750 | ¥1,500 |
Fridays get the weekend's four slots, but the official price list only says "weekdays" and "weekends" and doesn't say which rate Friday falls under. If you're going on a Friday, check the price on the checkout screen.
Within your slot, you can walk in at any time. There's no set exit time, so once you're in, you can stay until 9:30 pm. Leave, though, and you can't go back in.
If you arrive after your slot has ended, you won't be let in and won't get a refund. The city of Kobe also notes that even with a timed ticket, you may have to wait to enter when it's crowded, and the organizers expect queues right as each slot opens.
So which slot? Because there's no exit time, the 5:30 pm slot gives you the longest time inside.
If your arrival time is uncertain, the Monday-to-Thursday 7:30–9:30 pm slot is the only two-hour window and leaves the most margin. Either way, walking in a little after the slot opens should spare you the opening queue.
How to buy tickets, including from abroad
Advance tickets are sold through the Japanese ticketing services below. Some issue a digital ticket on your phone, others a paper one.
- Asoview! (digital)
- e+ (eplus) (digital or paper)
- Lawson Ticket (ローチケ)
- CN Playguide
- KANSAI MaaS (digital)
- tabiwa by WESTER (digital)
You can also buy at the in-store terminals of four convenience store chains in Japan: 7-Eleven (Seven Ticket), FamilyMart, Lawson, and Ministop.
See the official list of sellers and prices
Buying from outside Japan is harder.
The official site has no English page of its own (its "EN" link opens a machine translation), and none of the seller pages we checked says whether overseas-issued cards work for this event.
KANSAI MaaS, for example, requires registration with an email address and accepts Visa, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX, and Diners, but its FAQ doesn't mention overseas cards.
If you can't buy before you fly, there are two routes once you're in Japan.
The first is the convenience store terminals, which sell advance tickets too. The official site doesn't list a common deadline; on e+, it's 11:59 pm the day before your visit.
The second is a same-day ticket.
These are sold on Asoview!, through the multi-copy machines at FamilyMart (e+) and 7-Eleven (Seven Ticket), and from 3 pm at the Meriken Park ticket window. On e+, same-day sales close 30 minutes before each slot starts (5 pm for the 5:30 slot).
Same-day tickets are limited, though, and depending on advance sales there may be none on some days. If your date is fixed, an advance ticket is the safer bet.
There's normally no booking fee, though some payment methods may add one. Refunds are only given if the organizers cancel, for example for bad weather. Refunds aren't available for a change of plans.
The three sites and what's free
Site | Installation | Entry | Nearest station |
|---|---|---|---|
Meriken Park | Eternal Sunshine | Partly paid (free viewing zone too) | Minato Motomachi Station (Kaigan Line), 8 min walk; JR Motomachi, 10 min |
Higashi Yuenchi Park | Tower of Peace (平和の塔) | Free | Any Sannomiya station, 10 min walk south |
Former Foreign Settlement | Music Box (オルゴール) | Free | Kyukyoryuchi-Daimarumae Station, 3 min walk; JR Motomachi, 7 min |
Meriken Park's paid area holds "Frontone" (about 17 meters tall and 53 meters wide) and "Galleria," a corridor of light about 10 meters high and 81 meters long. A smaller 3-meter piece, "Rosone Cube," is also inside.
At Higashi Yuenchi Park, a 23-meter tower of light called "Scultura" stands on the main lawn. Light arches also surround the memorial monument and the "1.17 Light of Hope" flame, both of which commemorate the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of January 17, 1995. The first Luminarie was held that December.
In the Former Foreign Settlement, the installation draws on the recovery song "Shiawase Hakoberu Yo ni" (しあわせ運べるように, roughly "So We Can Carry Happiness"). The box-shaped "Doppio Gazebo" stands in the plaza outside the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) Kobe head office (三井住友銀行神戸本部ビル).
The organizers estimate about three hours to walk all three sites with a meal stop.
Entry rules: toilets, bags, and tripods
The paid-area gate is in front of the stage at Meriken Park. Show your ticket to the staff to go in.
There are no toilets inside the paid area. Permanent and temporary toilets are planned at Meriken Park, so use them before entering the paid area.
Suitcases, carry-on cases, and other large bags aren't allowed in the paid area. There's no bag drop or coin locker at any site, so leave luggage at a station or your hotel first.
Photos are fine, but tripods are banned at all three sites.
Holders of a disability certificate or certain medical-subsidy certificates (such as for designated intractable diseases) get into the paid area free without booking a slot; the official list names only Japanese-issued certificates (障がい者手帳 and similar). Show it at the Meriken Park ticket window.
A companion goes free only when caring for someone with a grade 1 or 2 physical disability certificate, a grade 1 mental disability certificate, or a ryoiku (intellectual disability) certificate, and normally only one companion per person. Everyone else in your group needs a ticket.
Rain, snow, and cancellations
Kobe Luminarie goes ahead in rain or snow. If the Japan Meteorological Agency issues an Emergency Warning (特別警報) for any part of Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe included, between 1 pm and switch-off on any night, that night is canceled immediately.
If warnings for heavy rain, heavy snow, storms, or similar, or advisories for heavy snow or thunder, are in effect at 1 pm, or roads are icy or snowy, the organizers make the call on the day, depending on whether the weather is expected to clear.
Bad weather can also change the lighting hours or program on any night. Check the official site before heading out. If the organizers cancel, your ticket is refunded.
Getting there and which site to see first
There's no parking, and the organizers ask everyone to come by train or bus. No extra buses run during the event. On regular city buses, get off at "Shiyakusho Higashi Yuenchi-mae" (市役所・東遊園地前) for Higashi Yuenchi Park or "Meriken Park" for Meriken Park.
In the Former Foreign Settlement, traffic restrictions are planned from 4:30 to 9:30 pm every night on the walkway outside SMBC's Kobe head office and the adjoining area to the west.
On weekends (January 30–31 and February 6–7), the walkway south of Kobe City Hall Building No. 1, near Higashi Yuenchi Park, is also set to be restricted.
If you're arriving by shinkansen at Shin-Kobe Station, the organizers suggest taking the subway to Sannomiya and starting your walk at Higashi Yuenchi Park.
That said, if your paid slot is 5:30 or 6:30 pm, head to Meriken Park first. With a later slot, see Higashi Yuenchi Park and the Former Foreign Settlement first, then make your way to the gate.
With the lights on until 9:30 pm, a night in Kobe means you won't be watching the clock for a late train if you're coming from outside the Kansai region.
This article was translated from the original Japanese with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team. The Japanese version is authoritative.